When the Ram and McRae National Qualifiers Tournament concludes today, the top ten competitors will move on to contest the 2023 National Chess Championships billed for later this month.
At the time of writing this column, Guyana’s candidate chess master Taffin Khan was in the lead, following four completed rounds of competition. Forty participants are engaged in the competition which is FIDE rated, and carries the first set of Grand Prix points. Grand Prix points are required for selection to represent Guyana at the 2024 chess Olympiad. The Qualifiers tournament combines seasoned and veteran players with the young advocates of chess.
The Inter-Guiana games between Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana would be held in Suriname this year and chess is one of the disciplines. By competing with the senior players, the juniors would undoubtedly learn some valuable lessons to display in Suriname. Already it is evident, as some of the juniors are overcoming some of the seasoned players. Leading the charge for the veteran and seasoned players are Errol Tiwari, Khan, Loris Nathoo, Shiv Nandalall, Justino DaSilva, Rashad Hussein and Roberto Neto. Spearheading the assertive junior contenders are 2023 national junior champ Keron Sandiford, 13-year-old Sachin Pitamber and Etan Lee. Pitamber was third in the Qualifiers having won three games and drawn one in the four games he contested.
The 2024 chess Olympiad will be held in Budapest, Hungary.
